California drought pushes up utility bills, study finds

1of4Drought cuts the amount of electricity the state gets from hydroelectric dams like this one at Bass Lake in Oakhurst (Maderay County).Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

2of4With water levels unable to reach the spillway the release gates sit open and idle at Bass Lake as seen on Friday July 18, 2014, near Oakhurst, Calif. A prolonged drought could make it harder -- and more expensive -- for California to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming. Drought cuts the amount of electricity that California gets from hydroelectric dams. To compensate, the state has to rely more on power plants burning natural gas.Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle

3of4Bass Lake generates 27 megawatts of power through five downstream power houses including the Crane Valley power house near Oakhurst (Madera County). A prolonged drought could make it harder — and more expensive — for California to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming. Drought cuts the amount of electricity that California gets from hydroelectric dams. To compensate, the state has to rely more on power plants burning natural gas.Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

4of4The drop in water levels at the San Gabriel Reservoir, or San Gabriel Dam, which provides flood control, groundwater recharge flows and hydroelectricity for the heavily populated San Gabriel Valley in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, has reduced the amount of hydropower available.Photo: Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images

The state spent an extra $1.4 billion for electricity during the past three years as persistent dry weather cut the output of California’s hydroelectric dams, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Pacific Institute environmental research organization.

With less hydropower available, utility companies had to buy more electricity from power plants burning natural gas. And electricity from natural gas plants costs more than hydropower.

It also produces more greenhouse gases. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from California’s power plants rose 8 percent during the past three years, due to the lack of hydropower.

While the cost may seem eye-popping at first, the report’s author, Peter Gleick, said it amounts to about $1 per month for each Californian.

“That’s pretty low, but it’s not zero — it’s a real cost,” said Gleick, the institute’s president. “And it’s combined with effects on air pollution and climate change.”

California has the nation’s most aggressive goals for fighting global warming, with policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, vehicles, factories, even homes. A prolonged drought could complicate those plans.

After falling for years, the state’s total emissions rose 1.7 percent in 2012, due to the drought and the closure of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. The California Air Resources Board has not yet released emissions totals for 2013.

Gleick’s report also notes that California experienced a three-year dry spell from 2007 through 2009, followed by two relatively wet years. When combined with the current drought, the total cost of the six years of dry weather is roughly $2.4 billion.

David Baker covers energy, clean tech, electric vehicles and self-driving cars for the San Francisco Chronicle. He joined the paper in 2000 after spending five years in Southern California reporting for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily News of Los Angeles. He has reported from wind farms, geothermal fields, solar power plants, oil fields and an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. He also visited Baghdad and Basra in 2003 to write about Iraq's reconstruction. He graduated from Amherst College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in San Francisco with his wife.